UPDATE: Nothing Spared as Fire Reduces XPZ Supermarket to Ruins Again

When the smoke cleared at XPZ Supermarket on Friday, little remained of the business that had fought its way back from a devastating fire just five years ago.

The supermarket on Sir Sydney Walling Highway was destroyed in the blaze, leaving behind remnants of the rebuilt store that reopened less than two years ago. What began on Friday morning as reports of smoke from a fire believed to have started in the kitchen became another major loss for the business. Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire or release a damage assessment. 

For XPZ, the scene carries painful history. Its original supermarket was destroyed by fire on June 1, 2021. Losses were estimated at EC$10 million, and nearly 60 employees were left out of work. A former employee, Tianzhao “Alex” Feng, later pleaded guilty to arson in connection with that fire. There is no reported link between the circumstances of the 2021 blaze and Friday’s fire. 

The owners began rebuilding at the same location in late 2022. After more than three years away, XPZ opened a larger store to the public on October 18, 2024. Its return had been a hard-won milestone for the business and the workers affected by the first fire.

Now the supermarket faces the aftermath of another devastating blaze. As the dust settled on Friday, the scale of the destruction was clear, but the full financial loss, any impact on staff and whether anyone was injured had not yet been confirmed.